Pity Party
by Dare2dream00
Summary: Raph and Casey have a moment of growth as people, realizing that just because someone has a problem that you can't relate to, doesn't mean it's not a problem. There is some cursing; it's how the Youth speaks. Enjoy!


**Hello I am back at it again at Krispy Kreme. Enjoy this un-proofread mess! :D**

 **Remember kids; just because someone has an issue different from yours, doesn't mean it's less of an issue!**

 **xx**

It was late when Raphael heard his phone buzz. When they were younger, maybe 12, Donnie had designed and given each of his brothers a phone, which the techie turtle ceremoniously dubbed, 'a shell-cell'. Charming as it was, as they had gotten older, Raph decided to call it what it was-a phone.

Raph almost ignored the second buzz that emitted, but ultimately decided to groan, roll over in his bed, and reach for its place on his nightstand. The teenager rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked a couple times to focus on the too-bright screen in front of him.

'1:34' the time stamp blazed. Raph unlocked his phone and checked his message center. It was Casey.

 _-Wanna hang? Dad put me out-_

Raph yawned and texted back,

- _Sure. Usual spot? -_ and hit send. It wasn't a moment later when Casey responded.

 _-See ya in a bit-_

Raph sighed again and put the phone down, savoring his warm bed and soft pillows a moment more, before steeling himself, swinging his legs off the bed, and standing with a stretch. He popped his neck and rolled his shoulders to wake up a bit, before glancing around his room. He grabbed a hoodie that had the HALO insignia on it and shrugged it on, before pocketing his phone. He pulled the hood up over his head, and headed out of the Lair.

Casey was already there when Raph climbed up the fire escape to the roof. Raph was betting Casey was there before he had even texted the turtle. It was their usual late-night hangout spot, even when Casey wasn't put out. Casey was put out a lot though, Raph recognized.

The spot was on the docks, near the East River. They had a pretty cushy set up on top of an abandoned warehouse, with some lawn chairs and cooler that they could stock with sodas and snacks. It was pretty terrific view, if Raph had anything to say about it. It overlooked the river, and they could watch the barges and boats trail up and down, with the Manhattan skyline back-lighting it. If they listened hard enough, underneath all of the cacophony that was the shipyards and the docks, they could almost the music and sounds from Manhattan; or at least, they could imagine them. It looked like a post card.

"Hey," Raph said, coming up beside his friend, and sitting in the lawn chair that was waiting for him.

"Hey," Casey replied, offering his bag of pork rinds. Raph took one.

"You good?" Raph asked, looking at Casey's face. Casey's lip was busted, and he had the makings of a bruise on his temple, but still, Raph had seem him worse up on this warehouse roof.

Casey shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah," he sniffed, crunching on another pork rind before leaning back in his lawn chair.

"What was the issue this time?"

Casey snorted, "Funnily enough," he explained. "I don't think there was one," he shrugged. "He just wanted something to hit I guess,"

Raph shook his head. It was all kinds of messed up, in his opinion. Parents shouldn't want to hit their kids. Yeah, Splinter got angry sometimes, and yeah, they sparred, but Splinter never outright whapped him or his brothers. All Splinter's moves were more deflecting than outright hitting. And yeah, Casey could definitely defend himself, but he shouldn't have to do so from his own pops.

Still, Raph did know what it was like to have people _want_ to hit him for no reason. People calling him a freak and frog and an abomination before coming at him. He was used to it, but after hearing it so many times, that shit starts to sting, and sometimes he wondered if they had a point.

"I know what that's like," Raph sighed deeply. Casey scoffed, and Raph turned to him in surprise. "What?" He asked. He thought he was being helpful.

"You don't know what it's like," Casey said, a sharp line forming between his eyebrows as he frowned. "You got no idea what's it's like."

Raph shook his head, frowning. "What do you mean, 'I got no idea'?"

Casey rolled his eyes and popped open a can of coke, maybe a little more aggressive than necessary.

"You have no idea," Casey continued, taking a swig of soda, "what it's like to walk through the door of your own house and not feel safe. You never know when it's gonna come. Not if, _when_ , because it always does. Sometimes it's a week, a month, and sometimes it's day. You have a great fucking dad, dude." He said, with an edge of jealously in his voice. "He makes you feel safe and actually talks to you instead of grunting between beers. I don't feel safe in my house, and I hardly ever want to be there."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? You think you got it so tough?" He challenged. "I don't feel safe anywhere _but_ my house. Look at me."

Casey looked.

"Every time I come top-side I'm in danger. Hell, sometimes when I'm walking the sewers, I'm in danger." Raph gestured to himself in frustration. "Dude, people wanna kill me because I don't look like them. So you have a shitty dad; you get to hang with your human friends in the human park in broad daylight dude, that ain't so bad. I come top side and people put little red dots all over my shell. Try that one on for size."

The two friends were quiet for a long time, the tension in the air was palpable. They were both hot headed, which is why they got along so well, but it also caused a lot of arguments. Raph shook his head, trying to calm himself a little. He hated fighting with Casey. His dad sucked, Raph knew, and Casey got caught in the crosshairs a lot. But so did Raph, with other things. With Shredder, with the P.D, with Bishop, the list goes on. The one place he could truly feel safe was his home with his brothers and father. He couldn't comprehend what it was like to not have that, because he had always had it. But Casey couldn't comprehend what it was like for Raph either, he rationed. Casey had never been a turtle. But that didn't mean that Casey's situation sucked less than his, he reasoned, it just sucked differently.

Raph sighed heavily. "Guess we're throwing ourselves a pity party here, huh?" He asked. He wasn't really expecting an answer, but was relieved when Casey snorted. Raph could feel the tension ease, and he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Sure are," Casey agreed. He sighed. "Sorry, I shouldn't've snapped."

Raph shrugged, "I shouldn't've gotten defensive." He offered. "Your shit sucks dude,"

Casey grinned. "Your shit sucks too, in a different way,"

Raph grinned back. "In a different way,"


End file.
